So here I go, humanizing horses again. But what I witnessed a few days ago really got me to thinking. Do horses get jealous, or am I just anthropomorphizing them once again?
There is a mare at the barn where I ride, named Marty that is spoiled silly everyday by a teenage girl. I swear this old mare loves this girl. She has more patience than Jobe with the kid and will absolutely do anything for her. A few days ago this kid had her mare in the wash rack going through her usual daily spa treatment routine. My sister and I were playing with a new mare, Rosie. We were taking turns "testing her out" by bareback riding her up and down the barn aisle by the kid's mare. It wasn't long before this teenager wanted "in on the action". As soon as she hopped onto the new horse, her trusty, ole friend had a temper tantrum! She pinned her ears back, flared her nostrils, and stomped her feet repeatedly. She couldn't have cared less while my sister and I were messing around with Rosie. But as soon as HER TEENAGER jumped in- she was livid. She made it clear, this was not cool!
Now, I personally think that I witnessed something kind of special. It was an "Aha" moment that really emphasized to me the special bond that horses can have with people. I truly think that I witnessed a case of horse jealousy. I told my mom, a life-long horse person, about this, and she told me about a pony that she used to have growing up who took a fancy to her and would also have temper fits when she rode something else. He too was an otherwise quiet, well-mannered pony, but he would rear, buck, kick, and run around his stall squealing if he saw her paying any other horse attention. Hum, got me thinking... Do we have horses, or do horses have us? I'm kind of inclined to think that horses may very well "choose" us and some may even get jealous!
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